Antioxidants: The Amazing Health Benefits Of The Fruit From The Amazons Tree Of Life

HSI recently learned about a superfood from the Amazon that, fresh from the tree, provides over 30 times the amount of anthocyanins (potent antioxidants) as red wine and all the beneficial fatty acids of olive oil in one delicious, all-natural package. And this is just the beginning of this foods health benefits. Its virtually impossible to over-do this food which is certainly not the case with red wine or olive oil.

Theres no disputing the health benefits of anthocyanins and essential fatty acids. Both have proven to be powerful nutritional tools in the quest for good health. The cardiovascular benefits of anthocyanins are the most well known; studies show that they can help prevent blood clots, improve blood circulation, relax blood vessels and prevent artherosclerosis.1, 2 But scientists have also discovered that they possess powerful anti-viral and anti-allergenic properties.3 Some research even suggests that they can prevent cancer and encourage tumour cell death.4

Essential fatty acids have proven just as powerful. Oleic acid, a monounsaturated omega-9 acid, and linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated omega-6 acid, help lower unhealthy LDL and maintain healthy HDL levels. They also increase the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, E, D, and K, which are essential to good health. Research has even suggested that oleic acid may prevent against cancer and hypertension.5 

Olive oil may be the best known sources of these nutrients, but it is certainly not the only one. Its the pigment in red grapes that gives wine its anthocyanins and that same pigment can also be found in other red and purple fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries, red cabbage, and purple sweet potatoes.

Oleic acid is also present in pecans and seed oils, and linoleic acid is found in peanuts. But there is one food that delivers it all plus other healthy nutrients like fibre, phytosterols, and vitamins C and E. For centuries, its been a staple for people in Brazil, yet virtually unknown to anyone outside the region until now. Its called aa (pronounced ah-sigh-ee), and its the fruit of a palm tree that grows in the rainforests of the Amazon a tree Brazilians call the The Tree of Life.

Discover the health secret of generations of Amazonian Indians
About 90 per cent of the small, round fruit consists of Acais hard, inedible pit but thats not a problem, because its the outside skin that holds the treasure. The dark purple skin is what contains the anthocyanins.

The natives pure the skins, creating a treat that can be served warm as a sauce over fruit or grains or frozen like a sorbet. Theyve been eating it for centuries, passing down recipes from generation to generation. (The native people have also passed down the story of how aa was discovered). Because fruit itself is perishable, its popularity never spread beyond the region.

Then, a few years ago, two friends from California went to Brazil on a surfing expedition and tasted aa for the first time. Before they even knew the health benefits, they were hooked on the taste. But once they learned that the tasty treat was also a nutritional powerhouse, they knew they had to find a way to bring aa to the rest of the world.

Superfood fights heart disease, cancer, prostate enlargement and more
Since then, the news about aa has been steadily spreading and the evidence of nutritional and health benefits just keep piling up. Consider this: a 100-gram serving of aa contains only 90 calories, just two grams of fat and no cholesterol. Plus, it delivers 3.5 grams of dietary fibre, something we could all use more of in our diets.

Improved processing of the fresh fruit is making it possible to preserve more of the fruits healthful attributes. Currently, the pure provides more anthocyanins than red wine and has antioxidant concentrations that well outweigh blueberries. Subsequent research has shown that in addition to anthocyanins and essential fatty acids, aa also contains a healthy dose of plant sterols, another class of phytochemicals that have been shown to reduce cholesterol, protect the immune system, and relieve prostate enlargement.6

In fact, it turns out aa is in the same family as saw palmetto, a common herbal treatment for prostate enlargement. And researchers at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro have discovered that aa extract can be used to fight infection, like the common bacterial infection staphylococcus aureus. It seems theres no end to this miracle fruits health benefits.

What to take for best results
The recommended dosage is two aa capsules a day.

Contraindications: pregnant women should not take this product without their doctors prior approval. 

The Legend of Aa
For centuries, aa has been a traditional food of the native people of the Amazon and part of its folklore, finding its way into legend as well as onto the table.

Once upon a time, there was an Amazon Indian girl named Iaca, whose father was the tribal chief. His tribe had grown so large that there wasnt enough food to go around. So the chief decreed that all newborn babies must be killed. And when Iaca, his own daughter, bore a child, the chief had his decree carried out.

Iaca mourned her babys death alone in her hut for days, until she thought she heard a baby crying. When she went outside in search of the baby, she saw a palm tree shooting up from the earth, covered in fruit. Full of despair, she lay down under the tree and died.

The next day, the tribe found Iacas body under the new tree. The trees fruit satisfied their hunger and renewed their energy, and the chief lifted his harsh decree, declaring that the fruit would be named after his daughter (aa is Iaca spelled backwards). With abundant food for all, the tribe grew and flourished.